Dallas Awards $50K in Neighborhood Mini-Grants

The City of Dallas said on May 13 that it had awarded 25 Love Your Block mini-grants to residents, neighborhood groups and community organizations for local improvement projects across the city. The grants total $50,000, with each recipient receiving $2,000, according to a city news release. Dallas said the winners were chosen from more than 100 applications submitted this year. The projects include gardens, murals, literacy efforts, park improvements and other neighborhood beautification work. ### How much money did Dallas award, and how many projects were picked? Dallas awarded $50,000 through the 2026 round of the program, with 25 projects selected for funding, the city said. The city said each grant was capped at $2,000 and described the awards as support for resident-led revitalization projects in neighborhoods and public spaces. (content.govdelivery.com) More than 100 applications were submitted, according to the May 13 release from the city. Code Compliance Director Chris Christian said in the release that the program “empowers residents to take ownership of neighborhood improvements” while building partnerships with the city. ### Who received the grants? (content.govdelivery.com) The city’s recipient list spans several project types. In beautification, Dallas named Katherine Clark for “The More You Know, The More You'll Grow,” Lutena Wooten for “Sit & See,” Crystal Robertson for “Feed The Streetz at New Life Farms,” and Oswaldo Ramirez for the “Eagleford Community Garden Sustainability and Beautification Project,” among others. (content.govdelivery.com) Public art and mural recipients include Krisa Cantrell for the “UrbanDale Park Mural,” Lindsay Haroon for “Neighbor Love Restoration & Resiliency,” Ivy Lane Baptist Church for “Ivy Lane: Restoring and Strengthening Our Grounds,” and Eduardo Mendoza for an “Exterior Home Beautification Project,” the city said. Education-related grants went to Veronica Bravo for “The Educator's Corner: A Community Library & Resource Hub,” Anna Gomez for “Suds & Stories: An Oak Cliff Literacy Initiative,” and Cathy Dozier Riles for “Keeping Our Community Beautiful.” Other winners included Jason Donnini for “Top of the Canopy,” the Highland Hills Community Liaison Association, Kenda North, and Rachel Griffith for “Welcome to Chariot Village.” (content.govdelivery.com) ### What kinds of neighborhood work does the program fund? Dallas said eligible projects for the 2026 cycle included community cleanups, small home or exterior repairs, neighborhood beautification, public art installations and improvements to shared community spaces. The city’s program page says applicants could be individual residents age 18 or older, resident groups or community organizations, and renters were eligible. (content.govdelivery.com) The city described Love Your Block as a resident-led grant program aimed at neighborhood revitalization. Examples on the city’s page include transforming vacant lots into community gardens, organizing cleanups, installing public art and making small neighborhood improvements. (dallascityhall.com) ### Where does Love Your Block come from? Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation says Dallas is one of 16 U.S. cities in the 2024-2026 Love Your Block cohort. The center said each participating city received $100,000 to support mini-grants for community-led improvement projects and a Love Your Block fellow. (dallascityhall.com) Dallas has run the program before. In July 2025, the city said its first Love Your Block awards recognized 30 neighborhood projects with more than $45,000 in mini-grants across 11 council districts. ### What happens next for the 2026 winners? The city’s Love Your Block page says funded projects in the 2026 cycle must be completed by Aug. 31, 2026. (publicinnovation.jhu.edu) The page also says applicants are expected to collect and document project outcomes. Keep Dallas Beautiful lists program updates, application information and contact details through the city’s Code Compliance Services department. (dallascitynews.net) The city identifies Kyndall Brown as the Love Your Block fellow for the 2026 cycle. (dallascityhall.com)